Introducing Chemical Research to Undergraduates ... - ACS Publications

Chapter 7

Downloaded by MICHIGAN STATE UNIV on February 18, 2015 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date (Web): December 17, 2013 | doi: 10.1021/bk-2013-1156.ch007

Introducing Chemical Research to Undergraduates: A Survey Course for Sophomores and Juniors Rebecca M. Jones* Office of Student Scholarship Creative Activities and Research and Department of Chemistry, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, MSN 1E3, Fairfax, Virginia 22030 *E-mail: [email protected]

The practice of chemistry research often differs considerably from the laboratory and lecture experience of lower division students. This chapter describes the successful implementation of a redesigned Introduction to Chemistry Research seminar course, deployed at Austin Peay State University, a regional primarily undergraduate institution with an ACS certified program. Using innovative and engaging activities, this course aimed to increase interest in undergraduate chemistry research and prepare students to begin a faculty mentored research project the following semester. Details regarding course content and structure, notes on implementation, and student feedback are presented.

1. Introduction As a well-known high-impact practice, undergraduate research has been established as a powerful and valuable experience for students (1, 2). However, chemical research often differs considerably from the lecture and laboratory experience of lower division students. Passive lectures and cookbook style experiments do not prepare students for the creative and logistical requirements of the research lab. As a young tenure-track faculty member at Austin Peay State University, I saw this disparity at first hand. My research students needed considerable guidance to be successful in very simple tasks like keeping a lab notebook and reading journal articles. Consulting with my colleagues showed © 2013 American Chemical Society In Developing and Maintaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program; Chapp, T., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.

me this was not an uncommon occurrence. Some problems cited by my peers at APSU and other universities include: • •


• •

Students are unfamiliar with the research process. Students are not prepared to enter a research lab and work on an independent project. Students don’t know how to access and read current literature. Teaching an independent study course is too time consuming.

These concerns significantly inhibited faculty interest and kept the number of students involved in research low. In an effort to alleviate these concerns of my peer faculty and better prepare students, I retooled an existing independent study course into a seminar format designed to equip interested students with the skills needed to be successful in the chemistry research laboratory. The literature on these courses is scant. Evan T. Williams and Fitzgerald B. Bramwell from Brooklyn College published about a similar course in 1989 (3), and many of their goals and ideas were adopted in my redesign process. Lauren Denofrio and colleagues at the University of Illinois designed a course to help connect undergraduates to their large network of research opportunities in biology and chemistry (4). This Introduction to Research course adds to these initial ideas by explicitly identifying the learning outcomes, including modern literature search methods and discussion of ethics, and modeling the research process with a group project and dissemination. In this chapter, I will describe the course design and activities, and provide some student feedback as assessment of the course’s value.

2. Course Design Entitled “Introduction to research,” Chemistry 2940 was taught as an independent study course at APSU. Faculty received a small fraction of the course credit hours as teaching load, which was very little compensation for the considerable time required to personally mentor an undergraduate. I approached my department chair in Spring 2010, with the idea of offering the class as a workshop style course with a group of students. If ten students agreed to take it, I could receive one teaching load credit. My chair agreed and the course was advertised in the Spring for a Fall section. The student learning outcomes (Table 1) were written to appeal to a large population of students, even those not majoring in chemistry. The course catalogue description “Experiment design including methods, techniques, and information resources in a specialized area” (5) wasn’t abandoned, but it was certainly expanded with these new outcomes.

82 In Developing and Maintaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program; Chapp, T., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.

Table 1. Student Learning Outcomes for Introduction to Research Course Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to … • Appreciate the nature and challenges of chemical research • Understand the relationship between a research mentor and student researcher • Search for references using SciFinder (6) and other library databases • Identify reliable references and access, read, and utilize primary literature • Obtain, read, and apply MSDS sheets for safe chemical handling


• Understand the basic requirements regarding data handling, including keeping accurate records in a lab notebook • Appreciate the ethical and professional requirements for scientists • Identify conflicts of interest and research misconduct • Design and propose a research experiment related to general chemistry and/or chemical education • Effectively communicate a research idea via written and oral presentations

These outcomes were used directly in a recruiting flyer, which was posted around the department in the Spring. Students were recruited from the General Chemistry and organic classes. Personal invitations from my peer faculty and myself were very helpful at securing a full section for Fall 2010, with 14 students enrolled. After a successful term, it was offered again in Fall 2011 for 20 students. Last taught in Fall 2012, by a different instructor, the course had 7 students. Coordinating with the department, I chose to offer the class during the lunch hour (12:20-1:15 p.m.) on Mondays. Students were welcome to eat in class as long as they were not disruptive. As the later schedule will show, there were a variety of class activities that were facilitated by being in a classroom with moveable seating. The grading for the one-credit hour course is summarized in Table 2. Attendance was recorded each day, but one free absence was allowed. Students were given one overall participation grade. Written assignments described in more detail below were primarily for reflection and primarily graded for completion. Due at the beginning of the next class period, only the ten scores were counted toward the final grade.


Table 2. Grading Scheme from Syllabus Method

Number

Value

Total

Assignments

11

30

300

Group Project Presentation

1

50

50

Group Project Written Summary

1

50

50

Attendance

15

3

45

Participation

1

55

55


TOTAL

500

3. Classroom Activities The redesigned course includes lecture, discussion, a group project, and student presentations. In this section, I present a description of each activity, the corresponding assignments, and the suggestions for implementation. Table 3 shows the Course Schedule from the Syllabus.

Table 3. Course Schedule Class

Activity

Written Assignment

1

Syllabus and introductions

2

The Making of a Scientist, Pt.1

3

The Making of a Scientist, Pt.2

4

Working with a mentor

5

Primary Literature and SciFinder

6

Lab Logistics (Data, Safety, and more)

7

Ethics and Professionalism

8

Communication and Dissemination

9

Group Project - Work Day 1

10

Group Project - Work Day 2

11

Group Presentations

12

Chemistry faculty presentations

13

Future problems in chemistry and final discussion

What is research?

Reading Science MSDS assignment

Find an REU

Summary of group project


3.1. What Is Research? Undergraduates rarely have a firm grasp on the scholarly process. This first day activity aimed to stimulate discussion and reveal the complexity of being a researcher. Students were each give a quote about research printed on a half sheet of card stock. Each quote was repeated three times in the class and the students were instructed to find the others who had the same quote. Examples of the quotes used include:


“Research is what I’m doing when I don’t know what I’m doing.” Wernher Von Braun (German-American rocket scientist, 1912–1977) (7) “Paintings are but research and experiment. I never do a painting as a work of art. All of them are researches. I search constantly and there is a logical sequence in all this research.” - Pablo Picasso (Spanish painter, co-founder of the Cubist movement, 1881–1973) (8) “How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.” - Niels Bohr (Danish physicist, 1922 Nobel Prize in Physics, 1885–1962) (9) Serving as both an icebreaker and a conversation-starter, the groups discussed the quotes, then shared with the class on how they related to the question “What is research?” This activity is very interesting and gets students talking. Many were surprised by how broad and uncertain the research process can be. The class concluded by assigning a one-page paper in which each student was asked to answer the question “What is research?”

3.2. The Making of a Scientist In the second and third classes of the semester, the PBS Video production Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist was shown (10). Directed by Richard Rifkind and Carole Rifkind, this short documentary tells the story of three graduate students working in Lawrence Shapiro’s molecular biology lab at Columbia University. I showed the film over two days to allow for discussion, pausing after there is a significant set-back in the experiments. I asked the students to write what they think will happen and how they would feel about the disappointment they witnessed. In the third class, we watched the conclusion of the film and then divided into groups for discussion. I provided prompts for this last discussion. Each time I have shown this video, the students had a range of responses. Some were excited by the ideas and the possibility of discovering something new. Many were sympathetic with the students who are struggling. Each semester, at least one was immediately turned off by the reality that there is no guaranteed success in research; failure is always an option. This video shows that reality in a very real and personal way, from a student’s perspective. The third class 85 In Developing and Maintaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program; Chapp, T., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.

concluded with another writing assignment, in which the students wrote about what new perspectives they learned from the film.


3.3. Working with a Mentor After spending two weeks watching students interact with Professor Shapiro in Naturally Obsessed, the next class period began with asking the class to define the term mentor and identify characteristics of a good mentor. Then I presented a lecture presentation in which the relationship between a mentor and student is given some framework. Students often assumed they should relate to the mentor in the same way they would to a professor they have for a class. Ideally, the mentor-mentee relationship is on a more even level than the teacher-student relationship. In this class, I provided some insight into what a mentor will expect and what students will be asked to do, including a lot of independent work. I also shared with them the importance of open and clear communication. Research is a frustrating process and I challenged them to be honest with their mentors when they are struggling. Finally, I shared the positive stories of how I have built lasting connections with my mentors and mentees over the years. As an aside, the Council on Undergraduate Research has printed a great handbook for new faculty “How to mentor undergraduate researchers” on this subject (11). I used it as a resource when developing the material for this class.

3.4. Primary Literature and SciFinder Chemical literature can be very intimidating for undergraduates, so the purpose of this class was to expose students to journal articles and teach them how to use scientific databases, such as SciFinder (6). In preparation for this class, I had previously distributed a print copy of Science to each student with instructions to find one article about which they were curious in preparation for this class. We met in a library computer lab with a reference librarian; the class was given a short presentation on searching for articles, and then began an assignment in class. They used the databases to find five articles referenced in their Science issue and then wrote brief synopses of how the referenced papers related to the article.

3.5. Lab Logistics This class period covered basics such as using Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), hazardous waste disposal, and keeping a lab notebook. I also presented departmental policies regarding work in research labs. A short worksheet was distributed as homework; each student was given a random compound and asked to look up a MSDS and complete a series of questions. Many students had never before used an MSDS and did not know about personal protective equipment beyond the goggles required for General Chemistry. 86 In Developing and Maintaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program; Chapp, T., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.

3.6. Ethics and Professionalism


Faculty mentors expect student researchers will behave in an ethical fashion. Becoming a researcher in a faculty member’s lab is a professional pursuit and should be respected as such. In this class, I presented The Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct (12) established by the American Chemical Society and discuss how it relates to students conducting undergraduate researcher. We also discussed the general concept of ethical problem solving. The students formed groups and were given one of four case studies to read, discuss, and propose a solution. The class concluded with each group reporting to their peers about the solution they devised. 3.7. Communication and Dissemination Oral and written communication are important components of scientific research. This class presented the types of dissemination common to chemists, including posters, talks, and written articles. I discussed the pros and cons of each type of presentation as well as how they are differently valued. This class ended with a brief discussion of summer research opportunities, such as those funded by NSF-REU. I recall the class being surprised that they could travel and be paid to do research somewhere for the summer. For their homework, the students were tasked with finding a summer research opportunity to which they were interested in applying. 3.8. Group Project and Presentations The final project of this class was designed to mimic the actual research process. The students worked in pairs; they were allowed two working weeks in class and the third week they gave a presentation of their project. From the syllabus: A presentation will be developed as a group project by the members of this class. You may use any multimedia device available during your group presentation. One purpose of the presentation is to give you more experience with public speaking and oral communication skills. Each member of the group will be evaluated by the other members of the group, the members of the audience and by the instructor. The groups were given a list of General or Organic Chemistry experiments and asked to design a follow-up question and design an experiment to answer it. They could also chose a topic from one of their classes which did not have a specific laboratory experiment connected to it. The teams presented their proposal for the project in a 10-minute oral presentation and submitted a short paper. For example, one group used a freezing point depression experiment to ask how other salts might change the temperature. Rather than just studying sucrose and sodium chloride as in the existing experiment, the students suggested using calcium chloride and aluminum chloride, which each have different van’t Hoff 87 In Developing and Maintaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program; Chapp, T., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2013.


factors. The students proposed a series of experiments that would use the technique they previously learned to study the effects of these other salts on the colligative property. Another example project came from two juniors who had struggled to understand optical isomers in organic chemistry. They designed an in-class activity using a modeling application to explore R vs. S isomers. While not truly original research in the strictest sense, the idea behind this group project was to encourage students to ask questions and strategically think about how they would go about reaching an answer. In each example, the students took the role of the principle investigator. They were evaluated on their good-faith effort to propose a reasonable plan and their oral and written communication skills. Each member of the pair received the same grade for the project.

3.9. Chemistry Faculty Presentations, Future Problems in Chemistry, Final Discussion In the final class periods, I invited my peer faculty to present a few of their research interests to the class. This was a direct recruiting opportunity and some productive partnerships resulted. I also encouraged the students to get involved with the student chapter of ACS and be curious about current and future problems in chemistry. I shared my own enthusiasm for research and communicated that, though frustrating at times, it is worth the effort!

4. Student Perspectives The student response to this course was quite positive. Table 4 shows select student evaluation data from the first time the course was taught in Fall 2010. Rated on a Likert scale, the average ratings were all over 5, where 6 was the maximum.

Table 4. Select student evaluation data (n=12) from Fall 2010 using a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from Excellent (6) to Very Poor (1). Average Rating

Standard Deviation

The course as a whole was:

5.5

0.9

The course content was:

5.4

0.8

The instructor’s contribution was:

5.8

0.5

Relevance and usefulness of course content are:

5.4

0.9

Reasonableness of assigned work was:

5.5

0.8

Clarity of student responsibilities and requirements was:

5.6

0.7

Evaluation Item


In addition, the students’ written comments were also very encouraging regarding the value of the course. Sample comments included: • • •


•

“This is an excellent class for those thinking about doing research.” “Very well-organized and well-thought course with lots of different material that appeals to many disciplines in chemistry.” “I wasn’t sure what to expect with this course but I found it incredibly relevant & educational. I am applying to a handful of REU’s for summer & writing a PRS all because this course introduced & prepared me for research.” “This class was a great taste of what research is… I leave it with the desire of more.”

A junior in the first iteration of the course, Ms. Kathryn White, is now pursuing a Ph.D. at George Washington University. When I contacted her in 2012, she provided this valuable perspective two years after taking the course: “The intro to chemistry research course truly opened my eyes to the world of research. I was able to see that research is not only a practice but a sort of philosophy. Before, research seemed like a lofty ambition. Now look! It will be my life for at least the next five years!” While only a fraction of students chose to pursue undergraduate research (approximately 50% each time), these written comments and student evaluations are indicative of a successful implementation and the course’s perceived value.

5. Conclusions This revised course provides an introduction to chemical research and creates a helpful bridge for students at APSU from classroom to scholarly activity. This course benefits faculty by producing students more prepared for independent research. Teaching the material as a seminar created a low-pressure environment and the content humanized the research process. Depending upon the needs of the department and the student population, the course can be easily customized. Future implementation of this research course would benefit by including preliminary and post surveys of the student participants. These instruments may assess the course’s impact on student perception of and interest in research. Also, it would be helpful to track the number of students who do indeed pursue an independently mentored research experience with a faculty member after completing the course. Longitudinally, connections to career path and post-graduation plans could be studied with an accessible alumni population. Assessment of this course and its impact will help justify the investment of time and energy required for implementation.


Acknowledgments Thanks to Dr. Robin Reed, former chairman, Department of Chemistry at Austin Peay State University, who supported my revision of this course.

References Kuh, G. D.; Kinzie, J.; Buckley, J. A. ASHE Higher Education Report 2007, 32 (5), 1–182. 2. Lopatto, D. Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research: The SURE survey. In Creating Effective Undergraduate Research Programs in Science; Taraban, R., Blanton, R. L., Eds.; Teachers College Press: New York, NY, 2008. 3. Williams, E. T.; Bramwell, F. B. J. Chem. Educ. 1989, 66 (7), 565–567. 4. Denofrio, L. A.; Russell, B.; Lopatto, D.; Lu, Y. Science 2007, 318, 1872–1873. 5. Austin Peay State University Bulletin, 2013-2014. http://catalog.apsu.edu/ (accessed August 6, 2013). 6. SciFinder; Chemical Abstracts Service: Columbus, OH. https:// www.cas.org/products/scifinder (accessed July 30, 2013). 7. von Braun, Wernher. Interviewed by Yves Reni Marie Simon. New York Times 1957 (December 16), 32. 8. Picasso, Pablo. Interviewed by Alexander Liberman. Vogue 1956 (November 1), 156–157. 9. Bohr, Niels. As quoted in Niels Bohr: The Man, His Science, & the World They Changed, 1966, by Ruth Moore; p 196. 10. Naturally Obsessed: The Making of a Scientist; ParnassusWorks Foundation: 2009.http://naturallyobsessed.com and http://www.thirteen.org/naturallyobsessed/ (accessed July 19, 2013). 11. Temple, L.; Sibley, T. Q.; Orr, A. J. How to Mentor Undergraduate Researchers; Council on Undergraduate Research: Washington, DC, 2010. 12. The Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct. http://www.acs.org/ content/acs/en/careers/profdev/ethics/the-chemical-professionals-code-ofconduct.html (accessed July 30, 2013).


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Introducing Chemical Research to Undergraduates ... - ACS Publications

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